PARK CITY, Utah -- The Olympic spirit rode a cafeteria tray down the skeleton track Wednesday morning.

It climbed a 7,324-foot summit and rode down 4,380 feet in less than 90 seconds -- in the snow.

The spirit did all that with an angel on its shoulder whispering, "Good luck," and "I love you."

Jim Shea Sr. and Jr. celebrate Olympic glory at its finest.(AP)

When he won gold Jim Shea Jr. said it was all about friendships. But it was more, so much more. The last time they had skeleton in the Olympics was 1948. By sheer force of will and winning, Shea helped raise IOC consciousness high enough that it added the funky sport back on the Olympic roster.

Then the spirit touched him. It would be his destiny with a father and grandfather who competed in the Olympics. Jim Jr. became the first third-generation Olympian.

Jack, a two-time gold medalist in speed skating at the 1932 Games, was that angel. Shea Jr. had the spirit. It was 29 days ago that grandfather Shea died when a drunk driver hit his car. Skeleton might be a silly sport with a silly name -- the sled looks like a cafeteria tray -- but it became a crucible for that Olympic spirit Wednesday.

"My dad, his grandpa, was there giving him his little extra push," Jim Shea Sr. said as the world swirled around his son. "Can you imagine, three generations, three gold medals?"

It might have been the greatest single day for the United States in these Olympics. Tristan Gale and Lee Ann Parsley finished 1-2 in the women's event. Three medals, two golds, in one event.

Parsley, an Ohio firefighter, nurse and PhD candidate, has literally rescued a person from a burning building. The G-force caused by training kept her from holding her head up straight. Good stories but sorry girls, the day belonged to Shea. No, it wasn't fair, but blame the IOC for putting both events together and stealing your thunder.

Jack Shea, 33, set this day up by winning gold in 1932. Seventy years later, his grandson rode to victory on that thin sled with Jack's picture stuck in his helmet. So did a bunch of other competitors. That's how much they respect "Jimmy." Love might be too strong a word, but not by much.

"I don't care what color it is," Parsley said of her silver medal, "After watching Jimmy win his gold, it just felt good to see our program have such a great day."

Silver medalist Martin Rettl of Austria hugged Shea in the interview room. Bronze medalist Gregor Staehli of Switzerland reached across and clutched Shea's hand. The runners up were present but were nothing more than garnish. Shea got all the questions.

"Now that I have a gold medal I can honestly say the friendships are more important," Shea said. "Gregor's dad is so supportive of me. I can't go to Innsbruck without getting a home-cooked meal from Martin's mom. We're not the only ones. It's about the world coming together in a great, peaceful way. I got some great friends up here. I've got some great friends that aren't here."

One that waited his whole life to see the moment only to have it cruelly stolen away.

"My dad preached the true Olympic gospel of taking part in friendly competition for the honor and glory of sports," Jim Shea said of his son. "He ingrained that in Jimmy's mind."

That's what pushed Shea to set out on the European circuit in 1997 with $200 and a Visa card. He slept in bobsled sheds and "nothing without animals in it," for two years before winning the 1999 world championship.

The sliders on the European circuit saw his dedication and urged him to approach the USOC about adding skeleton. The Olympics were in his country and his peers respected his work ethic, his charm, his doggedness.

"I would knock on every outhouse, dog house, hen house," Shea said. "I went to the White House twice."

Using his grandfather's memory as inspiration, Jim Shea Jr. wins gold by .05 seconds.(AP)

Then the suits listened. Another wacky sport was added for an IOC looking to appeal to a broader (make that, younger) demographic.

"Look at us," Staehli said, "Do you really think we are normal people?"

Never. Which was perfect when Shea's winning run was as dramatic as these brief sleigh rides can be. Shea was the 26th and final racer on his second run. Rettl led. In his first three split times, Shea was either tied or .01 of a second behind Rettl. Then on the final leg, he somehow picked up speed to win by .05 of a second.

The cafeteria tray won by a nose.

Realizing what he'd done, Shea fell off his sled at the finish, hugging anyone in his path. Someone held a sign reading: "Jack's Spirit Lives On." Then one more bombshell in a day filled with surprises.

Shea pulled off his left sock to reveal his big toe.

"I don't know if you can see it here," he said, "but my toe is yellow. It has a circulatory problem."

The situation was so bad that a doctor wanted to do surgery before the Olympics.

"I just said, 'Doc if I go to the Olympics, will I lose my toe?' Shea said. "He said, 'No, probably not.'"

Armed with that halfway assurance, Shea headed for Salt Lake City. By Wednesday, he couldn't walk for more than a block and couldn't warm up for his runs. It was bad.

"I sort of wanted to rip somebody's head off," Shea said recalling his start. "I was upset, angry. I wanted to get an explosive start."

In 1 minute and 41.96 seconds, he did it, earning himself a gold and countless dollars and attention for himself and, mostly, his sport. An Olympic moment? More of a 'WWJD' moment.

And 'What Would Jack Do'?

"He'd cry," said Jim Sr.